The Weight of Our Sins
by TripleThreatTrio
Summary: Dust weighs heavy on the skeletons of our past. Padawan, Jedi, or simple man of the fields, we hold ourselves above them in hopes to never see them again. But our past is never forgotten and our sins never forgiven, and I could only hope that when mine returned, it would be without consequence. Hope, it seemed, was not enough.
1. Chapter 1: Down for the Count

_By ~Illusion mod and ~Nifty mod (~Murky mod sat this one out ;p)_

 _Just a fun little drabble we did a while back with some of our characters. Enjoy!_

"It'll be fine, Dae." Genala chided. She gripped the overhead handle, trying to steady herself as the transport craft slowly descended to the planet's surface. The air grew thick as the jungle canopy drew close. "All we have to do is talk to some people and we'll be out of here."

The carrier's autopilot nimbly flew through the branches. It landed, flush with the ground, and the air had grown so humid the water formed droplets on Genala's exposed skin. She squirmed uncomfortably.

"Yes," Dae hissed, "but WHO do we talk to? Waltz in like we're full blown Jedi touting that we represent the Republic and need to speak to their leader?"

"I don't see why not."

"Are you actually serious."

Genala lept from the inside of the craft and onto the thick jungle floor, strewn with vines. There was a small, but noticeable trail, heading north. She shook her head. "We were sent here by full blown Jedi. Close enough. Come on." Genala waved over her shoulder as she started up towards the town.

Dae followed reluctantly, lowering her voice even more as she struggled to keep up, "Who's to say that the random civilians could even point us in the right direction? Shouldn't they have at least given us a _name?_ "

"That would've made things easier. But they asked for us-"

"Their _government_ asked for us," Dae cut in.

Genala turned her head, eyebrow raised and mouth poised with a retort when a sharp voice cut between them.

"Hail!"

Up ahead on the trail a dark blue man stood waving at them. He was smiling- that was a good sign. He hurried down the path and extended a hand. "You're the Jedi, I assume?"

Genala narrowed her eyes and grinned, offering a knowing glance in Dae's direction before taking the man's hand. "You'd be assuming correctly. I'm Genala."

"Dae," she forced through gritted teeth.

"Quan," the man replied. "Come, we've much to discuss."

Genala nodded and followed quickly behind Quan, but not before turning to Dae, whispering "You worry too much" before hurrying to catch up to the Chiss.

The temple of the Duke was ornate in every inch of its design. Massive pillars carved with intricate stories told as they ascended to the tapestries that hung loosely from the ceilings. Paintings, statues and sculptures adorned every corner and every wall of every room through which they passed- how one had that much time to decorate gave Genala pause.

Quan guided them into a side room, just off of the massive chamber that clearly served as a lobby, and stopped them. He glanced towards a massive door, closed and closely guarded, before returning to them. "I apologize. I'm unsure how long the Duke will be in his chambers... there have been many troubling events as of late."

"Troubling? Nothing involving the separatists, I hope?" Dae spoke up, worry that their mission may be more complicated than they'd first thought overshadowing her vexation with Genala.

Quan shook his head quickly. "No! No, at least not yet. Which is exactly why we called you here in the first place. But I cannot call the Duke from his meeting. It should only be a few hours more."

 _A few hours?_ Genala kept a groan behind closed lips and sighed. "What are we to do until then?"

"You are free to roam the city. I'll have the guards find you when the Duke's session has finished."

Genala shrugged, looking to Dae. "Sounds good to me."

Dae nodded her approval, "Thank you Quan."

That'd been over two hours ago, and with most of the city having been thoroughly explored, Genala was thoroughly bored. There was still no word on the status of the meeting with the Duke, but from the whispers amongst the guards and nobles it didn't sound like it would be ending any time soon.

Genala and Dae sat on a bench, the former sprawled back about to fall asleep and the latter fiddling with her saber.

"That noise is infuriating." Genala didn't even open her eyes, but placed a hand where she thought Dae's were.

"Sorry." She snapped the two halves of her sabers back together one last time and set it in her lap, "I'm nervous, and the longer this takes the longer I have to envision everything going wrong."

Genala clicked her tongue. "Nothing's going to go wrong. This is just-"

A shadow fell onto the two girls and Genala jumped to her feet, sure it was one of the guards coming to fetch them. _Finally._

Unfortunately, it wasn't even a chiss.

"Who are you?"

The figure before them was dressed in a light brown robe, matching those of the Chiss that roamed the streets.. And while he had blue skin, it was far lighter than the sea of dark blue in town. He reached a hand up and removed his hood, revealing a dazzling array of iridescent feathers atop his head. He smiled. "Good morning."

 _He's beautiful_. Dae stood abruptly but didn't make a move to say or do anything beyond that, her eyes transfixed on the man's face.

Genala looked towards Dae, eyebrows raised. She was waiting for the chagrian to speak, but her mouth held agape told Genala there were no words at the ready. "Is there something we can help you with?"

"You look familiar. What are your names?"

"Genala. And this is Dae." Genala gestured over to the chagrian who nodded eagerly.

Eyeing the saber linked to his belt, Genala continued. "What's a Jedi doing on Juunlat?"

Dae startled out of her daze, eyes locking on the lightsaber. It was worrisome that the Togruta had noticed it first. _She_ was supposed to be the perceptive one.

The man drew a hand to his chin and thought a moment. "I was about to ask a pair of padawans the same question. I'm here on diplomatic business."

"As are we." Genala replied.

That gave the Jedi pause. "That's odd. I wasn't told of any arrivals. Who are your masters?"

"Master Asrabira." Dae answered without hesitation, knowing that if nothing else, they were not here wrongly.

"And Creed. Anyuran Creed."

There was a moment's silence between the three and a slow but unsettling smile crept its way across the man's face. It seemed to out of place against his almost ethereal features. He was nearly barring his teeth. "I was hoping that was the case."

It happened so fast Genala nearly didn't catch the Jedi reaching for his saber. She drew hers with hardly a moment to spare as the blades flared and sizzled against one another. His was as red as the summer sunset. _What the fuck?_

Dae's shock caused a moment of hesitation, but she too was wielding her blade within moments, lunging towards the feathered man in an uncharacteristic show of offence, hoping to draw him away from Genala enough for her to get her bearings.

But he was ready. With his free hand, he shoved Genala back.

She could feel the air rush from her lungs as she landed on her back, hard. A quick glance revealed no one around- this place had been crawling a moment ago! As Genala scrambled to get back onto her feet, she had the stomach dropping realization this man had planned this. He'd waited until there was no one around, not even a guard to act as a witness.

With both hands free, he spun to face the chagrian charging him. He parried her blow with ease. She'd expected that. The tight, invisible hand of the Force was something she hadn't. Before she could pull back and switch to an easier, more defensive style - her saber still caught on his - he reached with his free hand and she felt her airways clench tight.

The inability to breathe was a foreign sensation. She panicked immediately, desperately trying to draw air in through her lungs, her gills, anything! She had to breath! She had to stop him! She scrabbled for her lightsaber, trying to separate the two halves, but her hands wouldn't listen as her world began to grow dim around the edges.

Genala stood just in time to see Dae's feet swinging wildly just a few inches above the ground. Where hands were normally drawn to the neck, clawing fruitlessly, Dae's were still at her lightsabers. Her fingers worked against one another, fidgeting wildly.

Drawing her saber in front of her, Genala rooted herself. "Drop her. Now."

The man chuckled. He didn't take his eyes from Dae's thrashing form as her struggles grew weaker and weaker. "Your lightsaber, please."

It wasn't a question and by the slowing of Dae's movements, Genala didn't have time for debate. Sheathing the blade, Genala tossed her saber at the man's feet.

He looked down, pleased, and waited a moment longer before he dropped the no-longer-struggling chagrian to the ground. She crumpled into a heap.

"I appreciate your promptness, Genala." The man reached down to pluck her saber from the dirt. "Things could've gotten much worse for you." He paused. "And your friend."

Genala was silent. She was unarmed, but she still had the Force. If she could just find a opening, a place to slip by him and-

"I wouldn't." The man clipped his new saber to his belt, beside his own. He kicked at Dae's prone form and Genala took a step forward. "Ah! I'd like you to stay where you are."

"Who the fuck put you in charge?"

The man laughed. "I did, actually." He brought a hand forward and Genala felt fingers close themselves around her neck.

Genala had used Force choke before, only on dummies in the training arena after Creed had gone to bed, but she'd never actually seen it done on a living being. The terror that filled her blood was one so unlike a fear she'd ever felt before. It was all encompassing and as the darkness pooled inside her vision, Genala had but one thought- maybe she should try worrying a little more often.


	2. Chapter 2: Birds of a Feather

When Dae came to, it wasn't slow or with confusion. She awoke abruptly, as if only a moment had passed since she'd given into the darkness. She struggled to pull her heavy body upright, trying to brace herself for returning immediately to battle, and was confused to be met with silence.

There was nobody around.

She tried to swallow against the uneasy dread seeping back into her system. She reached for her saber, but of course it wasn't clipped to her belt. She fell to her knees and ran her hands through the underbrush as she searched for her fallen blade.

It dawned on her only after several minutes had passed to use her Force senses to search for the crystals. There, several feet from where she'd awoken, was one of them. The dark bladed one. She took a deep breath that did nothing to hold the panic at bay and drew her half-saber to herself. She gripped it tightly, replaying the events of what had just happened in her head, trying to piece it together in a way that would make sense.

But that infernal _beeping_ made it hard to concentrate. _Beeping?_ Her communicator had been going off since she'd woken up. _Shit_. What was she going to tell Master Asrabira? She grit her teeth and pressed the answer button.

"-ae! Dae! Answer me!"

"Master!" For a moment she was at a complete loss for how to even start explaining.

"Dae! What's going on? Why haven't you been-"

"He took her! It was a trap! They made us wait and got us alone and then he made me- I couldn't breath! I don't know wha-"

"SLOW DOWN Dae! Who took, what? Where is Genala?"

"He took her! I said he took her! She's gone, I don't know where they went, I don't know how to track her! Can we track communicators?"

"Who took her? Are _you_ okay-"

"What did he look like, Dae." A deeper voice cut in over the communicator. "Describe him. Everything."

Dae tensed and looked around wildly, momentarily thrown by the sudden new voice. Creed. It was just Master Creed. She resumed her pacing, now watching every shift in shadow around her for new dangers. She should have been more conscious from the start.

"I don't know! He was blue-"

"As is every Chiss; _think_ Dae." Creed's voice was stern, commanding.

"He wasn't Chiss! He was, I don't know! I don't know! _Pretty!_ Feathers! _Sith!_ He said he was a Jedi, no, **we** said he was a Jedi I think, I don't remember! He attacked her!"

Master Asrabira's voice resumed. "Dae? Dae, I need you to breathe. Are you alright?"

"Alright?! I'm here _I'm talking to you_ but Genala is gone! We failed. _I failed._ I shouldn't be here, I should be with her! I couldn't get my sabers apart. I couldn't breath, I couldn't do anything Master Bira, I tried, I promise I did!" She cut off mid rant, gasping and trying to get her breathing under control.

There were soft murmurs from the other side of the communicator for a moment. "Dae. I want you to go back to the ship and wait for Master Creed and I, alright? I need a confirmation. You are to go back to the ship and wait. Alright? Did you get that?"

"Go to the… do… wait? You want me to just wait? I don't. I don't even know how long I was out! I thought it was just a few moments but they were gone and the sun is lower in the sky-" She gestured wildly in the direction of the canopy, "They're already farther away than… How long until you get here Master? What about the Chiss? They said we should wait but they never came and got us!"

"Get to the ship, Dae. Get on the ship and lock it up tight. Hide and wait for us. We'll be there by nightfall."

"I," she forced herself to take a deep breath, "Yes Master." The communication line disconnected.

Dae picked her way back through the jungle towards the ship, but once she arrived she didn't board.

She hadn't meant to disobey, honestly she hadn't, but the quiet of the jungle did little to distract her from playing through the events over and over, again and again. Instead she paced once more just outside of the carrier, trying to remember every detail of the man's face, and every moment she could have acted but instead hesitated, or risked a maneuver that wasn't her usual style - opening herself up to make new mistakes.

Why had she gone on the offensive in the first place? Why hadn't she spilt her sabers from the start? _Why hadn't she noticed that the strange man had a saber, and thought to question why he didn't seem familiar at all despite his eye-catching grace and beauty?_ If he'd really been a Jedi she should have seen him around _sometime_. Sith was the natural alternative. She should have considered that! She'd let herself get distracted. She'd paused and hesitated- but not to let herself think. She hadn't stopped to consider her options, rather, she'd become utterly _useless_ when he'd used the Force choke on her. She only had half of her lightsaber left - the other was well and truly gone. And what of Genala?

* * *

It was the subtle hum of a ship's engine that stirred Genala awake. She reached to rub her eyes but found her hands tied behind her back, themselves tied to a metal post. Genala was laid on her side, face and back aching against the cold, metal floor. _Where the hell was she?_

It was in her attempt to understand her surroundings that she realized she felt... nothing. The Force was gone. Genala wriggled her fingers and pulled against her chains but even as flashes of pain shot up her arms, not even a whisper of the Force came to her.

The last few moments before she fell into blackness came crawling back and she remembered the fight. The man. Dae. _Son of a bitch._

Genala struggled to sit upright, forcing her eyes to adjust to the darkness of her room. It was nothing special, a storage closet of some kind. The shelves were lined with useless crap that Genala could barely make out and filled with twisting pipes, one of which Genala was tied to.

The lack of Force flowing through her was frightening, a empty place where something _should_ have been but wasn't. Never before in her life had she felt this lost or this alone. She ducked her head forward. How in the _world_ was she going to get out of this one?

* * *

"Dae sounded absolutely hysterical." Asrabira spoke, ducking into the cruiser. "I'm worried she'll do something stupid."

Creed shook his head, his eyes refusing to betray the torrent of emotions beneath. "She's smart. She'll be fine."

"I _know_ she's smart, Creed." Asrabira ran a hand across her head and looked about her frantically. She was fidgeting, unable to keep still. "But she's also anxious and prone to panic when she feels out of her depth. This the _worst_ possible way this could have gone."

"We didn't know how this would go. We have to trust them."

Asrabira looked up skeptically, appraising him. "Trust? You, of all people, are going to talk about _trusting_ your padawan?"

Creed didn't reply. He took a seat as the cruiser took off into hyperspace, settling in for the long ride to Juunlat. They couldn't have known this mission would go wrong. It was just a simple diplomatic meeting. Go, talk, leave, report. He'd sent Genala on a dozen missions just like this and she'd done fine. _What in the world happened down there?_

"Creed?"

Creed glanced up. He must've looked tired- he hadn't slept well the night before and even now his mind was elsewhere. Dae had said something about feathers and there was only one race he knew of that looked like that. But why did it seem so familiar? _Feathers. Feathers._ "Hmm?"

"You're right. She is going to be fine. They _both_ are."

"Of course."

Asrabira narrowed her eyes. "Don't act all stoic with me. That's my padawan down there but at least we know where she is, that she's okay. Yours is _missing_."

"I don't know what you want me to say, Asrabira. This job isn't an easy one or a safe one, especially with the war going on. We can't expect every mission to-"

"Fucking- !" Asrabira's kampo had extended fully in her frustration. She slammed her fist into the wall. "I know damn well this is eating you up just as much as it is me. You can't play these games with me, Creed; I know you too well. You haven't heard a thing from Genala in almost 8 hours and it's killing you too."

Creed stared forward. He knew she meant well, but now wanted nothing more than silence. He nodded. "Trouble never ceases to find her."

* * *

Genala was screaming. Her body was tensed, hands balled into fists behind her back. She was bent over, mouth open.

When the pain finally stopped, she crumpled to the ground, no time to even brace for the wave of pain that followed.

"I'm surprised," he paced in front of her. "Creed must've sent you on some gnarly missions if you're able to withstand this long."

 _Creed._ This was the fourth time he'd referred to him by name. Genala could barely think past the burning, and the sharp aches and pains that coursed through her. With what few thoughts she could still form she felt worry and dread swirl. _What did he have to do with this?_

Another round of shocks left Genala panting, not wanting to draw in any more breath than necessary lest her lungs feel like they were about to fall out of her chest.

"It's certainly not news to me. I remember him as the hardball type. Never one to back down- a pride thing." The man tilted his head. "Not unlike you."

"Fuck off." Genala forced the words from her mouth. She wasn't sure how many she had left before she'd black out.

The man laughed, stopping in front of Genala to crouch. "So much spunk. But from where? Surely you know you're the weakest link. Save for that chagrian. Pitiful, that one."

Genala hissed. "You're scum."

"Hmm, never heard that before." The man gripped Genala's face between his fingers and yanked it upwards. His gaze bounced between her eyes and her neck. "I'd normally attempt to see how much it would take to entice you with the dark side, but I see you're no stranger. Making my job just that much easier."

Genala's neck screamed against the odd angle the man held her head at. She wiggled, but her weakened state made any attempt fruitless. "I'm nothing like you."

"I think the truth of that would surprise you, Genala." The man smiled. "Do you know anything about your Master?"

Genala opened her mouth with an "Of course,", but the reality of the situation contradicted her words. She knew almost _nothing_ about Creed, save for his name and that he was a Jedi like any other. She'd tried to ask him about his childhood, his family- hell, he wouldn't even tell her his favorite food. He hadn't given her the least bit to have any idea who he actually was. He was an enigma.

"I'm sure he'd appreciate the sentiment, but if that were the case, you'd already know who I was." The man let go of Genala's head and stood up. "I can't say I blame him. With a past like his, I'm sure he'd like to keep it unknown for as long as possible."

"What-"

"-am I talking about?" The man finished. "Why, your Master Creed hasn't always been a Jedi. What do you think he did with those first 150 years of his life, hm?"

Genala, even with her head hung where the man couldn't see it, scrunched her face in confusion. One of the few things Creed had told her was that he was brought to the Temple 'like any other Jedi'. Nearing 320 years old, his time as a Jedi should've been his entire life.

Genala chuckled. "You kidnap me, torture me and expect me to now believe whatever lies you can conjure? What do you take me for?"

"If only they were lies." The man continued. "Wouldn't you know it? Your Creed used to serve under me."

Genala laughed again, a little quieter this time. "As if. You're a little eccentric for his taste."

"150 years!" The man ignored Genala's quip. He stood with his back to her. "He was very good at his job- turning people against their values. Breaking them until his way was the only escape they saw. I'd even say he enjoyed it." The man paused and turned back to Genala.

Genala had picked up her head, now trying to hold it up long enough to watch the man's next move. He stepped in front of her again, bowing down to where their foreheads nearly touched.

"Maybe that's what he was trying to do with you. They say old habits die hard."

Genala spit in his face.

The man recoiled, snarling, and let loose another stream of lightning.

But Genala hardly felt anything. She could only think about Creed. He was distant and unreasonably hard on her, but he always meant well, didn't he? He was looking out for her, cared about her well being... right? Doubt had settled deep in Genala's gut and as her body finally gave up the fight, one thought remained until the darkness swallowed her- _Creed... had been a Sith?_


	3. Chapter 3: Black Hawk Down

The moment they landed the ship Dae was trying to board, babbling about how all she'd done this entire trip was wait.

"The longer we wait the more likely the people who did this will get away! We need to question them! We need to-"

Asrabira held up a hand, silencing her Padawan, "If we question anyone, it will be the two of us.: She gestured to herself and the Pau'an. " You have had a long, stressful day and are in no state to help with such a task." She looked to Creed. "Do we want to talk to anyone here? What are the chances they know anything?"

Creed looked to think a second. "I think that'd be the only lead we have. Genala's communicator is still off."

Asrabira nodded, "Then we will have a look around, but you" she directed her attention to Dae, "are to get into the ship and meditate. Or sleep. Am I understood?"

"Yes master."

The Tarasin watched her padawan reluctantly turn to go, wanting nothing more than to comfort her but knowing their was much more at stake. She looked up towards the town. "I figure we start there."

Creed agreed and they both started up the path.

They had hardly entered the town proper when a Chiss seemed to double-take and hurry in their direction.

"Jedi masters?" The chiss seemed anxious and surprised.

Asrabira tensed, remembering that among her rambles Dae had speculated that the two padawans had been sent away to wait for an indeterminate amount of time in order for the sith to find them.

"We are." Creed cautiously nodded, offering the man a hand.

"Thank goodness you're here! We sent the guards out to find your padawans over two hours ago!" The man heaved a sigh, clearly displeased. "The duke grows impatient."

"Of course, we apologize. Is he still wait-"

"Actually!" Asrabira cut in, "We are here precisely because of those missing padawans. This is no longer purely a diplomatic meeting. There has been an abduction. If the Duke wants the Jedi's help, he will have to continue waiting. If you would be so kind as to direct us to anyone who may have seen a blue, non-chiss man with feathers around here?"

The man scrunched his nose. "I don't know anyone by the description. We did not invite you here to accuse us of crimes. If your padawans went missing, it was of their own volition."

"Ah, yes, I'm quite sure our padawans were sent away and made to wait for several hours, after being invited, of their own volition. I'm sure they were adequately warned to stay clear of specific areas and wandered into just the right place to be abducted by sith, that, may I remind you, we had been assured were not yet on your planet, of their own volition."

"Your padawans were _lucky_ to only be waiting a few hours. Our Duke is a very busy man and for him to make such time out of his day to ensure the Separatists do not take _another_ planet is something to be grateful of." The man puffed his chest. "If you have nothing more to offer me then I'd ask you please leave."

Asrabira who had moments before been full of fire, seemed to become eerily calm. "I see. You speak for your duke then, and wish to refuse negotiations, after sith have been _confirmed_ on your planet's surface outside this very town? I do find that rather telling, wouldn't you agree, Master Creed?"

Creed's gaze was cast down, his expression unreadable. "I would."

"No, we're not-" The man narrowed his eyes, taking in a breath. "I was not lying that I have no idea about the 'feathered man', but I can postpone negotiations until this... issue is resolved."

"How very gracious of you," she replied blandly.

Suddenly, from Creed's left pocket two whistles sounded. He fumbled in his pockets, trying to fish around for the commlink. When he pulled it from his pocket, he eyed the flashing green light. "A message is trying to come through."

"Answer it!" Asrabira urged, scrambling to turn her own communicator back on.

Creed pulled away and pressed the light, waiting a moment for the awaiting message to play.

Genala's hushed whispers came over the speaker. "We made the leap into hyperspace soon after leaving the planet. We still haven't left it- I'd say we've been in it a few hours. Three maybe? Don't know where, don't know-" There was a large string of static before Genala's voice returned. "-arge flagship, cruiser size, maybe bigger. Don't know how long-" The static returned and engulfed Genala's message until the commlink switched off.

"He didn't just let this slip," Creed said finally. "He planned to have her send that."

"Of course he did." Asrabira agreed with ease.

Their eyes met and they were entirely in agreement. They were going anyway.

* * *

To her credit, Dae did _try_ to meditate. She really did. But she'd been trapped inside her own head for hours already, and sitting still wasn't going to change anything about the process. Instead, she began to tidy up the ship. She was midway through washing the windows when she heard her communicator beep.

"Master?"

But it wasn't her master's voice that burst through the communicator's speaker - it was Genala's.

"Genala! Are you okay? Where are you?!" but the message continued as if she hadn't been heard at all. _A recording_. She hung up on the message and tried dialing through, but received no answer. She sagged momentarily. _At least I have the recording, it's better than nothing. It could be worse_. She played the message again, listening for anything important. There wasn't much Genala could tell them.

 _Wait. It's a recording!_ If it wasn't current, something had blocked the message from getting through. Hyperspace, naturally. But why was it coming through _now_? They must have just exited hyperspace! That gave her a timeframe. Dae flew into action.

She sprinted down the hall and snatched up the first pad of paper she came across. She jabbed at the communicator and replayed the message again. Genala had given here exactly what she needed. _A few hours_. Three hours, maybe. She grabbed the paper and sprinted back up the hall to the cockpit.

Dae ripped her communicator off her wrist, plugged it into the navicomputer and opened all information about the recording available. It was time stamped _five hours ago_.

 _Five hours plus… maybe three. Better give it a half hour in either direction_. She turned to the table and opened the holomap. She ran a search for every system seven-and-a-half to eight-and-a-half hours worth of hyperspace travel from Juunlat. The search returned only five systems, and of them only two were along viable hyperspace highways. Two systems, in nearly opposite directions. She had to narrow it down more.

She jot the names of the systems on the paper and began to pace. Genala said it was a _large_ flagship. Something at least the size of a cruiser. Something that big and unaffiliated wouldn't go unnoticed, but it wasn't as if there were people monitoring the highway traffic that she could call and ask. He could take that ship and hide out anywhere.

But then again, it was large. Something as big as a cruiser would need to refuel after eight solid hours in hyperspace. _Shit._ She whirled back to the computer and began searching for refueling stations in the first system that would be able to refuel a standard republic cruiser. There were _thirty six_ of them. The took note of each on the paper, and ran the same search for the second system. An additional _forty three_. A grand total of _seventy nine_ stations that might have happened to see a flagship, and that was after already screening out all the smaller stations that couldn't handle much more than in-system ships.

Dae had returned to pacing. She couldn't think of a single way to eliminate any of the choices, but she could rank them by importance. The ones closer to the highways were more convenient, and more likely if they were to jump back into hyperspace. She'd look into those first. But how? _"Hello, this is a padawan who's been sent to her room by her master and I want to know if you've seen any big flagships come out of hyperspace and fuel up in the last-"_ how long had it been? _"-twenty minutes?"_ Yeah. That wasn't going to cut it.

Asrabira could probably make that call though. She shot back to the computer again, and dialed the number to the first refueling station on her list, "This is Jedi Master Asrabira, I need to know if an unaffiliated, cruiser-sized flagship has refueled at your station in the last half an hour. This is a matter of Galactic importance."


	4. Chapter 4: The Sith Solution

Genala slammed herself against the cold metal door of her cell, her shoulder taking the brunt of her weight. She wasn't sure if was even doing anything, nor what she would do if she even got it open. Again and again she heard the dull thud of herself against the door. Her shoulder grew number after each strike but the door looked no worse for wear. Genala wasn't even paying much attention anymore, just mindlessly slamming until finally exhaustion pulled her to the ground.

 _Fuck!_ This asshole had completely forgotten to attach her cuff back to the pipe and Genala was thus free to move about the room. Windowless with one door and now visible vents, she was stuck without any plausible exits. The illusion of freedom was driving her nuts. She could move and act, but there was nothing to act upon. She was just as stuck as before! The only thing she was left to do with her freedom was pound at the door in the hopes of some mira-

The room was suddenly filled with light.

The door to the storage room slid open and Genala could see into the hall, completely devoid of any guards. She was sure he would have put someone outside her door. _What was he playing at?_

Genala stood, wobbling onto uneasy feet. She peeked around the corner, surprised to find it completely devoid of any life. She took a tentative step out, sure that a trap or ambush would be set should she even try to leave.

But the halls stayed quiet. Only her heavy, laborious breathing made any sound.

She'd been unconscious when that man had brought her aboard his ship, so these halls and passageways looked absolutely foreign and confusing. She was completely out of her element, unable to feel the Force and unarmed of anything but her wit and an aching body. It was now more than ever that Genala hoped her message to Dae got through.

Genala turned right and moved as quietly as she could. She hadn't realized he'd taken her boots, not until the chilly metal floor seeped into her feet. No trouble, it made her steps lighter and more silent. Genala took another right turn, and then a left. It looked like she was heading towards the barracks. Where even _was_ she trying to go? There was no way he'd let her get close enough to the escape pods to use one, or close enough to a computer to call for help. He was playing her.

 _Your move._

The barracks were eerily empty, with every bedroom door left open and every room left spotless. It looked like the place hadn't been used in years.

"I'd have put you up in one of these," a voice suddenly spoke aloud. "But I'm afraid they just aren't as secure as that little broom closet."

Genala stiffened, yanking reflexively at her bindings. "Pity."

"Indeed." The man paused. "I'm glad to see you decided to take me up on my offer for you to explore the ship. She's a beauty."

Genala look a few cursory glances around her, disappointed to find she'd painted herself into a corner. The hall ended with no where else to turn but the bedrooms. If she wanted to escape, she'd have to run past him. And in her state, that was not a possibility. "Your offer?"

"Did you think your door opened due to a malfunction?"

Genala turned around, able to study the man's form completely for the first time. He was strikingly beautiful. His skin was an iridescent light blue and his feathered head appeared to be sparkling under the light. "I didn't think you'd take the chance of me escaping."

"Escaping? Chance? You think any of this-" the man waved his arms above his head, "-was by chance? You don't think I haven't planned out every part of this?"

"Bullshit."

Instead of replying, the man pulled something from his pocket- her communicator. He pushed the button and she heard her voice echo down the empty corridors.

She balked. _Of fucking course he had it. Of fucking course._

"I do hope your little message reaches Creed. It was a lovely performance."

Genala laughed. She wasn't about to give him the upper hand he so desperately wanted. "Creed won't be the only one coming for me. Dae and Asrabira and-"

"Oh!" The man interrupted. He chuckled softly. "Oh, dear. Dae was the chagrian with you, yes?"

Genala did not find his choice of words comforting. "Yes, she was. And she won't-"

"Yes, she won't be doing anything. You do know asphyxiation is lethal."

A small knot Genala hadn't noticed before had curled itself tightly around her gut. She had just assumed that because she'd survived, Dae had as well. He could be lying. He was playing a game with her, she was a pawn. He wanted her upset. Weak. Susceptible. But Genala hadn't seen Dae move or breathe or anything after he'd let her go. He could have-

"I mean, you watched me choke the life out of her as you handed me your lightsaber. You were there. Terribly unobservant, aren't you?" he continued.

The knot in Genala's stomach tightened and a fury erupted in her gut. His voice was beginning to grate on her nerves. "Shut up."

"This isn't the first time you've failed, is it? Isn't the first time your actions have cost someone dearly?"

" _Shut the fuck up."_

"And if that little message gets through to Creed you'll have done it again. Leading him right into the hornet's nest."

"You son of a bitch." Genala did the only thing she could do. She charged.

She got barely four steps forward before the man swung out a hand, slamming her against the far wall. He reached forward, lazily wrapping his fingers around her neck and squeezing.

"Mmm, feels good, doesn't it? That anger? The _rage?_ " His breath was on her face.

Genala scowled. Her heart was thundering in her chest and blood was rushing to her face as her breathing became labored.

"You've fought this feeling your whole life, haven't you?" He whispered, far too close to her face for comfort. "Constantly told to suppress it, ignore it... I wonder how long before you can't anymore."

They were close enough that Genala could smell the stale scent of the man's breath. She wiggled against his grip. "Long enough to kick your ass."

The man chuckled. "We'll see about that."

* * *

Creed was silent, but his mind was a cacophony of theories, scenarios, worries... He knew his face betrayed little, but he couldn't keep his hands still. They clicked against his lightsaber handle and padded against his pants. Anytime he tried to stop, he feared he'd lose composure.

It were times like these that Creed had to remind himself why he couldn't be as lax as Asrabira. A glance in her direction showed the worried lines around her eyes and an intense stare that told of the flurry beneath. And it wasn't even _her_ padawan that was in danger.

Was it just the Jedi Code that kept him so still? He knew it wasn't, but there was a part of him that wanted to believe it. To believe that his only drive was the same as any other Jedi- to protect. But he had a far more personal reason to be worried about straying from the Jedi path.

"-and so maybe we should be starting with any shipping companies? Maybe they saw something?"

Creed hadn't even realized Asrabira has started speaking. He cleared his throat. "Sounds reasonable."

"We need _better_ than reasonable. I wonder if there's an Cronau patch we could find. At least see where he left from."

"Also a solid plan."

Asrabira looked over to Creed and narrowed her eyes. "Some help would be nice!"

Creed looked ahead of him at their ship as they drew closer, but said nothing. To be honest, he wasn't sure he'd be able to form any type of plan with his mind as jumbled as it was. The familiarity of the feathered race Dae spoke of nagged at him. Not to mention the kidnapping. _What Sith kidnaps someone instead of killing them outright?_

He didn't like any of the answers.

Dae was waiting outside the ship when Creed and Asrabira returned. Their idle chat cut off as the padawan spoke, "He took her through the Keslar system."

It was the last thing Asrabira would have expected to hear from the frazzled padawan they had left behind. She opened her mouth to ask where she'd gotten that information when Dae shocked her further by holding up a hand for silence - something she had surely learned from Asrabira herself. Creed raised his eyebrows.

"He refueled at Opiis and was headed toward the highway off Niesrel towards the outer rim." As she talked, she boarded the ship, simply expecting the Jedi masters to follow, "If he jumps back into hyperspace and his final stop isn't before that point, he'll need to refuel again in the Vaasik system. He wasn't afraid to go through Opiis, so I doubt he's even trying to hide. I have all six major stations in Vaasik watching. If he comes through they'll report back."

Asrabira was dumbfounded.

Creed was holding the pad of paper Dae had left on the table, quickly reading over her jumble of names, times, and communication numbers. "You got all of this from the message Genala sent? How did you arrange this?" He gestured at the list of Vaasik stations.

The confident Dae before them melted away and a more familiarly anxious one took her place, looking sheepish. "Well, about that. See, I um, didn't exactly arrange anything, being just a padawan and all… But Jedi Master Asrabira may have made a few com calls?" She winced as she met her master's eye.

Creed scoffed. Dae was the last person he'd think to try and impersonate her Master. It sounded much closer to something his own padawan might try to pull- but then again, Genala most surely wouldn't have been so open about having done it.

"Brilliant!" Asrabira felt like she could leap out of her scales with pride. She grasped her padawan's hand between her own and practically vibrated with excitement.

It wasn't the reaction Dae had expected. She eyed Creed, relief over Master Bira's approval mixing with trepidation over what Genala's more strict-and-stoic master was really thinking.

Her master's voice drew Dae back to the discussion. "We should work under the assumption that he IS headed to Vaasik and try to close the gap a little. The Aishen system is between here and Vaasik, and way closer than Keslar. He must have gone that way in case we trailed him, to throw us off. We can be in Aishen before he even reaches Vaasik, and already be closer than if we'd gone the way he did."

Dae noticed that as her master spoke, it seemed more directed to Master Creed than herself. She hadn't even noticed his fidgeting until it had lessened. The quiet jedi was far more shaken up about this than she'd realized. If _he_ was this worried…

 _Hang in there Genala, we're coming for you._

* * *

Genala had been put back into the broom closet, still dark and still cold. But everything seemed different now. She was angry.

Angry at her situation, angry that she couldn't escape, angry at Creed, angry at that fucking man, angry at herself, angry, angry, angry. A white hot flame now burned deep in her chest and the longer she stared at the closed door the more helpless she felt. How long before Asrabira found Dae's body and wondered why Genala hadn't done anything? How long before she'd hear Creed telling her over and over how she'd failed and cost the life of one of her own? Of one of her _friends?_

 _She'd_ been the one to tell Dae not to worry. _She'd_ been the one to have her guard down. _She'd_ done this. The man's words came back louder- _this isn't the first time you've failed..._

And suddenly, that white hot flame grew to an inferno. Genala screamed, shouted, hearing her voice echo in the small room and carry out into the hall.

 _Things would be different._ Genala promised herself. That she knew for sure.


	5. Chapter 5: Lost Cause

" _What do you mean 'Answer it'?!_ "

"I mean answer it Dae; you set this up, so as far as he knows _you're_ Asrabira" Asrabira said, "Better hurry before he gives up or it switches to message."

Dae didn't have time to panic, but she definitely hadn't been anticipating having to be the one to answer when a Vaasik station called. She knew her master would be back to take over by the time that call came in! She bit back her fear and punched the button to answer.

"Master Asrabira here. What can you tell me?"

She tried not to make eye contact with either Jedi master, feeling the weight of their eyes on her back as she outright lied about her rank. It was one thing admitting to a deed once it was done, and another entirely to committing it in their presence.

The man on the other line began to describe a ship, and she scrambled to mentally catalog the details. Frankly she didn't know what it looked like at all. All Genala's message had mentioned was its size, so she tried to absorb every new detail the station owner could give her. Did that sound like the ship she was looking for?

"Yes, um, that's very likely the ship we're tracking. Can you tell me anything about the pilot?"

She nodded as he described the man. Ornery, in a hurry, blah blah blah, paid in cash. He never mentioned the man's race - his skin color or feathers - and asking seemed like a bad idea. A Jedi should know the race of the person they're tracking, and as far as she knew, neither of the _actual Jedi_ with her knew what he was either - but it still seemed likely that this was him. The timing was right; the size of the ship was right.

"Thank you. Can you tell me which, uh, direction he went in? If he jumped back into hyperspace? We're, er, in route and attempting to... cut him off."

Asrabira met Creed's eyes and raised her eyebrows, silently asking if he was as impressed as she was. It wasn't a flawless delivery, but it was working, and her padawan had taken the initiative all on her own.

Creed nodded. Asrabira noticed his fingers again, slowly tapping. He looked straight forward, towards Dae, but they were distant. She wanted to ask him how he was doing, but she knew she'd get nothing from him. He was reserved, but it didn't make it any easier for Asrabira to not try and reach out to him.

Dae thanked the man on the com again, and told him they'd call to check in again once they were out of hyperspace before she closed the line. She cringed visibly when she turned to face the Jedi again, "He hasn't left yet. We could wait here until he does, but I think we'll save more time if we just go to Vaasik?"

Master Creed nodded and made his way to the controls to get them moving again.

Asrabira rolled her eyes at the padawan's questioning tone, "You did well Dae. Very well. You should trust your instincts more often."

They had already refueled at Aishen when the call had come in, so it was only a brief span of time before they made the jump to hyperspace.

Once they were in route, nobody seemed to know what do with their time. It wasn't long before Dae was antsy and looking for something useful to occupy her time. "I'm going to go search the archives; see if I can't figure out what that sith's race was at least."

"Don't bother"

There was a silence that fell between them as Creed spoke up.

"Why?"

"He's Omwati."

"You don't think that would've been useful to tell use _earlier?_ " Asrabira questioned. Her voice came off harsher than she'd wanted.

"I wasn't sure," Creed began. "But now that I've had time to think... there's nothing else he could be."

Dae and Asrabira glanced at one another. Creed didn't miss the look they exchanged.

He was quiet again for a minute. "There's something familiar about it. I know the Omwati. Or someone who is Omwati... there's something foggy that I just can't quite put my finger on."

Asrabira stifled a scoff. She wanted to probe more into why Creed hadn't mentioned the Omwati sooner. Since when is speculation a bad thing? Why would he feel the need to be sure before bringing it up? If he'd mentioned it right away they could have brought up the archives on them and had Dae confirm. But she had already spoken more harshly than she'd meant to and for now she was concerned he might clam up again if she pushed it.

After a beat of silence, Creed offered more, "It worries me."

Now that was something neither Dae or Asrabira expected to hear. They exchanged glances again, just to be sure each heard what they thought they had.

"What worries you?" Asrabira asked carefully.

"This man took Genala but left Dae." He hesitated before continuing, "And now there's a foggy memory of mine that feels all too familiar to this situation?" He paused once more, this time just to take an uneasy breath, " It's not a coincidence."

* * *

Genala was silent, trying to gather her rapidly spinning thoughts. She had to get out of here, the ever shrinking walls of the broom closet were beginning to drive her insane. The cuffs that still bound her wrists together were beginning to rub the skin raw. Genala had gone as far as to contemplate breaking one of her hands to get them free.

The man entered the room again hours later, waking Genala from a slumber she hadn't realized she'd fallen into.

He crouched in front of her. "Tired?"

Genala pulled back from him, but didn't get far. Unable to catch herself with her bound hands, she landed hard on her side.

The man clicked his tongue. "Here, let me get those for you."

Genala wriggled backwards from her position on the floor. He wasn't... really going to take off her handcuffs? What was this guy doing?

Sure enough, the man rose to his feet and dropped down behind Genala, where she couldn't see him. She felt his fingers around her wrists until something clicked.

In a rush of heat and pressure, Genala felt the Force come flooding back into her body. It was like a breath of fresh air, revitalizing and bringing with it a surge of newfound energy.

Immediately, Genala lept to her feet, feeling out with the Force to find the man's body. She swung, hard, to send him against the wall. She strode towards him, catching him before he could regain his bearings. "Tell me how to get off this ship."

The man chuckled in between coughs. "I'm impressed."

Genala squeezed at his windpipe. "Escape pods. Where are they."

Still, the man laughed. "So long without the Force... I was expecting it'd take you longer to get back up to speed."

"You guessed wrong." Genala squeezed harder, fully intending to kill the man.

The man, however, reached out himself and easily peeled Genala's fingers from his. He held her hand above her head. "Now now. We can't have that."

He squeezed and Genala felt her hand begin to be crushed. In an act of desperation, she kicked at his knees. She felt one buckle and he released her hand. It was enough for her to roll backwards towards the door again.

Genala swung it open, rushing into the hall and making sure she turned _left_ this time.

She felt just an ounce of relief as the halls began to point her towards the bridge of the ship. _Maybe the communications-_

Suddenly, Genala's feet were lifted from the floor as her body was then slammed into the metal walls. She gasped, coughing, as the man's chuckled echoed up to her.

"Smart."

Genala crawled forward, extending a hand. Pure electric energy flowed from her fingertips, aimed directly at where the man stood.

Genala didn't wait long enough to see if it hit. She scrambled to her feet and started racing towards the bridge again.

The room that housed the bridge was far more massive than Genala had anticipated. She had flown smaller fighters and cargo ships but this place was huge. The navigation table, showing their current destination, dominated the center of the room. Panels of colorful buttons dotted the perimeter.

Genala wasn't sure where to start.

"I'd known you'd dabbled in the dark side," the man's voice called down the hall. "But I guess now 'dabbled' is an understatement."

None of these controls looked familiar, with half the labels written in another language. Genala ran her hands along them, looking for anything familiar _A communication device? A distress beacon?_

"Come, you don't want to leave so soon?"

Genala spun on her heel. She reached out for the door and tried to close it but the man caught it in his grip. She used her other free hand to push him out, sighing in relief as he moved back just enough for the metal door to slam shut.

The sound of a lightsaber caught her attention, seeing the red blade piece the outside of the door.

 _Shit._ Genala was running out of time. She knew where her communicator was, nestled inside the man's pocket. Why hadn't she grabbed it when she'd first knocked him down?

The man had finished his work on the door and stepped through the hole he'd created, but stopped short of fully entering the room.

Genala stood, her hands held out in front of her. "Give me my communicator."

"If you knew it to be that easy, you wouldn't have-"

A fierce wind cut off his words as anything not screwed down in the room began to swirl and spin.

Genala had never actually tried this ability yet- Creed had caught her late one night mirroring the moves and given her the third degree. Having found out her nightly schedule, she hadn't the time to find a new place to practice.

Genala frowned. The thought of Creed brought Genala a sudden surge of anger and the air spinning around the room grew in intensity, beginning to crackle with electricity.

The man's eyes grew large, but not with fear. A grin had spread from ear to ear.

"Give me my communicator."

Genala wasn't sure if she had even planned to try and let the man answer. Even before he opened his mouth Genala let loose the energy that had been spinning directly onto the man's form.

He flew backwards, against the door. Again and again he was hit by flying debris. Genala could see his body racked with the electricity, the corners of her mouth turning upwards.

Not wasting a moment of time, Genala ran forwards, reaching into the man's pocket and pulling out her communicator. She moved to push the button but her wrist was caught.

"Absolutely astonishing."

 _He's still awake?_ Genala had been sure that would at least knock him out. She pulled against his grip. "Let me go!"

"I cannot believe Creed let you get this far. Hmm. So much for the Jedi Code."

Genala yanked again. "Creed didn't _let_ me do anything. This was all me."

The man smiled again. "Even more surprising. You continue to impress me, Genala."

There was a moment then where Genala's will faltered, her arm still poised to pull against his grip. _What was he doing?_ She knew he was lying... he had to be lying. He was just trying to get her on his side. But Genala couldn't help a feeling of satisfaction at the man's praise. She was impressive. She was astonishing. She was _worthy_.

The man let go of Genala's arm and she let it drop to her side.

She had all but forgotten about the communicator.

"You can call me Demas."


	6. Chapter 6: Fool's Gold

There wasn't a person on the ship not surprised to hear a comm-link begin to beep as the ship exited hyperspace. Creed wasn't even sure what it was right away, resigned that they'd gotten all the communications they would get from Genala.

Creed grew wary as he soon realized that it was, in fact, only _his_ that was going off.

Asrabira noticed, too. She watched closely as Creed's shaking fingers missed the answer button on their first try.

"Twenty four hours."

Dae and Asrabira looked on in confusion as Creed took a startled step back.

"Just one day, Anyuran. I really thought you'd have taught her better."

Dae's eyes grew wide as she realized who it was. "That's him," she croaked.

Asrabira looked back and forth between the shocked faces of her companions, feeling rather out of the loop. "That's who?"

Creed stared in horror at the communicator in his hand as flashes of memories raced through his head, entirely oblivious to Asrabira and Dae. He knew that voice. _He knew that voice._

"It's the man who took Genala! That's him! It's the sith!"

"Oh!" Asrabira jumped to action. "We need to track the signal! Creed!" she hissed, "… Creed?"

But Creed didn't move. This voice... it belonged to a dead man. But how was that possible? He had to be nearly two decades gone. But here he was- _Twenty four hours._

"Creed!" Asrabira hissed again, this time punctuating it with a jab to the arm to get his attention.

Creed's head snapped up. He met eyes with Dae, her eyebrows knitted low on her brow.

Asrabira gestured for Creed to give her the comm-link.

Then Creed noticed the voice had not stopped speaking and turned his head downward to stare blankly at it again.

"A pity, really. I had hoped for a little more of a challenge before you arrived."

Asrabira scowled and snatched it from him.

Creed jumped, grabbing at the communicator as Asrabira turned away. "Asrabira!"

"Pardon?" The voice asked.

Dae had caught on somewhat, and attempted to step between them, gesturing for Master Creed to get a grip and keep from giving away her and her master's presence. Asrabira was silent, but glared daggers at him as she scrambled for the wire to attach it to the com-link. The second the connection was made, she threw her arms in the air in frustration, pointed at the link, and mimed talking.

Creed open his mouth, only uttering a short "I-, who-."

The man chuckled. "I didn't take you for the forgetful type, Anyuran. And Demas isn't that difficult to remember."

 _Demas._ The name rolled off his tongue so easily Creed was shocked he had ever forgotten it. Demas had been his mentor. Demas taught him everything Creed had every known about battle. Demas had made him who he was... a thought that chilled him to the bone. Those memories that were coming back were not good ones. Creed had not forgotten what he was, but what he had _done_ was an entirely different story.

"Where is she?" Creed asked, finally gaining his voice. "Where've you taken her?"

"Oh, she's here." Demas paused. "And I'm sure by now you know where 'here' is."

Asrabira nodded. The navi computer showed a blinking blue dot where the signal was coming from.

"And that means I should be going. I'll see you soon, Anyuran."

And the line went dead.

"What in the blue hell was that Creed?"

Creed reached forward and gripped the back of one of the chairs. His knuckles were white, the metal beginning to warp under his fingers.

Dae stepped back, staring at his hands as the metal twisted under the strain of the Force. Asrabira stepped closer, not seeming to have noticed as she continued to shout, "Who is this "Demas"? Why does he know you? I know you like to clam up when things go south but this? This is behavior I'd have expected from a padawan on their very first mission!"

"Be quiet, Asrabira." Creed didn't look up.

"Excuse me?" The volume of her voice had lowered dramatically, but had taken on an icy edge. She she did not appreciate being ordered around, and was not the one who had nearly cost them their chance to track down HIS padawan.

"Now is not the time," Creed continued. "We need to head for-"

"For his location. Yes, if you'll notice, Dae has already put in the coordinates. Everyone seems to be more on the ball than you today. Now is _exactly_ the time to talk about this."

Creed's head jumped up, his eyes boring into Asrabira's. The metal in the chair popped. "Do I really have to talk about this? Your padawan is standing there, safe and sound, and Genala's out somewhere with a maniac that I know all too well and you want me to talk about my feelings?"

"That's not what I'm asking, Creed! I'm asking how you know this guy! Who is he? Why do you seem so bent on keeping us out of the loop? _What are you hiding?_ "

Dae wanted to melt into the controls she was standing by, feeling very much out of place.

The low chuckle that came from Creed was unsettling, even to himself. "What am I hiding? Why don't you ask that joke of a council. I'm nearly 200 years old- you think I spent all those years with the Jedi? No, no I didn't. And Demas knows that all too well."

That seemed to catch Asrabira off guard, "What are you saying?"

"I was Sith, Bira!" Creed shouted, his voice bordering on shrill. "A century and a half I spent with those scum, a century and a half of my life that I struggled to forget and now I finally get the chance and _this_ happens." Creed placed his hands to his head. "Demas knows what we did, I know what we did. And I know intimately what he's done to... her in there." Creed's voice trailed off, his fingers nestling into the marks they'd made in the chair minutes before.

Dae's heart thudded in her chest. Ma- _Creed_ was a sith? Strict, jedi-code Creed had been one of _them_? What if… what if he was the reason Genala was so drawn to the dark side? They say it changes you… what if it never really left him? Her mind swirled with uneasy thoughts and implications.

Asrabira cycled through emotions rapidly, but what she latched on to was the amount of regret and disgust in his voice, in his face, in his entire demeanor. His distress had been palpable from the first words this 'Demas' had spoken. She placed a hand on his shoulder.

When Dae saw her Master move, she didn't expect it to be to comfort him. What horrors was her friend facing right now? Because of him? She shook her head in denial, fighting back tears of confusion as she silently escaped the room.

Creed lifted a hand and placed it atop Asrabira's. Neither noticed the departure of the padawan.

* * *

Genala was quiet as Demas spoke. He paced but a few feet in front of her, completely relaxed. She could so easily reach out, attack him- kill him. _What was she doing?_

Her lack of an answer scared her. He'd killed Dae... she should be struggling to wrap her fingers around his throat but she wasn't. She was silent and still. As much rage and anger that boiled beneath the surface, Genala couldn't quite convince herself to attack him. He seemed interested and Genala's curiosity was far greater than her fear now.

That and the thought of returning to Creed made her blood boil.

"There is still much for you to learn." Demas continued. "But your power and strength is far above what I was expecting. Come," he waved at her to follow.

Genala pulled herself to her feet. She would see what he had planned, satiate her curiosity, and then make a decision.

And by the lack of aid from her fellow Jedi, it seemed she had all the time in the world to do so.


	7. Chapter 7: Head to Head

Dae needed space to think. Everything had gone so incredibly wrong. Genala had been captured - by her master's own past sith buddy. Then they spent hours upon hours trying to find her. Only to discover Creed had been sith himself.

 _How did Creed even become a Jedi, if he was once sith?_ How could the council trust him? They had to know - he had said something that made it sound like they'd been the ones keeping his past a secret.

She sat on the bed in her sleeping room aboard the ship. _Then again, the sith are liars_. If he wasn't sith, he'd have no reason to say he had been, so it stands to reason that that was a truth. But if he was Sith, how much of everything else he had said were lies? _How much of it was just lies to make us trust him?_

Why had _Master Asrabira_ trusted him? She couldn't wrap her mind around it. She tried to understand it from her master's perspective, but she couldn't see it as anything but blind trust.

Sure he had seemed distressed, but the sith are skilled manipulators, actors. Creed certainly hadn't seemed like himself at all. Before seeing him destroy that chair she'd have said she couldn't imagine him as a sith - but the _anger_ that had been there. How could Master Asrabira not see it? The same thoughts churned over and over, but they slowly became more disjointed and eventually she dozed off.

The next thing Dae knew, she was waking up to the sound of her Master's voice.

"Dae? We're nearly there. I let you rest as long as I could but we need to be ready."

Asrabira stepped back out of the room as soon as she saw Dae stir and knew she'd been heard. Dae sighed. Of course she'd fallen asleep… She had been awake for nearly 48 hours before that after all.

Some of her worries had lessened while sleeping, but finding out a well respected Jedi Master had been a Sith still didn't sit well with her, and her master's apparent acceptance of it made her uneasy. With a clearer head, though, she had to admit that she didn't really know her master's thoughts on the matter - she had only made assumptions.

She got up from the bed and stretched as she went over the events of the evening. Retrospectively, she questioned her own perceptions about the revelation as well. She'd been high strung and running on no sleep. Maybe her master really had seen a true and honest regret for his past.

But the look on Creed's face when he'd gripped that chair wouldn't leave her. For now she'd have to wait and see.

Asrabira's voice came from outside her door, "We just dropped out of hyperspace Dae, we're here."

* * *

Demas was surprised when he felt the presence of his former student draw near. Anyuran wasn't due for another eight hours, at least, which meant he had done a better job of tracking Demas than anticipated. He grinned. Excellent. Less time spent waiting around. Of course, a little more time would've given him a chance to more deeply probe the depth of Genala's abilities, but it was of little concern now- the girl had far outdone herself.

His grin faltered somewhat as he focused more intently on Anyuran's position and realized he was not the only one aboard the ship. There was at least one other force-sensitive with him. No matter. An extra Jedi or two would get in the way, but wouldn't ultimately be a problem.

He turned to address his more recently aquired pupil, but to his delight she seemed to be right on track.

"Creed is here," Genala stated plainly.

"Yes. It would seem your old _Master_ has finally come for you. What do you intend to do about it? Will you let him rescue you?"

"Too little, too late," she spat, "I don't need anyone's help, especially his."

"Of course you don't. But apparently he does. He's not alone. Tell me Genala, who would he bring with him?"

"Asrabira." She felt her gut clench. She'd been about to add "Dae's Master". Dae's… former master. It didn't matter. Another jedi. That's all that mattered.

He saw her hesitation, but chose to ignore it, "I see. Well, it seems Anyuran has boarded our ship. I suggest you go greet our guest. He's all yours."

Without waiting for her to respond or react, he pushed past her into the hall and made his way around to Anyuran's ship where this Asrabira had stayed behind. Honestly, as if he of all people weren't powerful enough to sense her there?

He strode boldly onto the ship and announced rather loudly, "Asrabira I presume? Come out and make your presence known! You can't hide from me."

From off to the side, a purple dark-bladed lightsaber blade flashed into existence.

"Dae. The pathetic little padawan friend. And here I thought this would be a challenge."

* * *

The ship had grown silent. The last sound of Demas' fading footsteps had fallen into silence and now even the ship, normally creaking and groaning, held its breath.

Genala was sitting- she wouldn't stand to wait for Creed. She could feel him getting closer, feel his fear. The Force was taut with tension and Genala breathed it in, letting it settle into her gut. She wasn't afraid, but she knew Creed hadn't become a Jedi Master from pity. He could certainly hold his own and much of what she had learned had been from him.

The thought of battle brought a breathy laugh to Genala's lips.

She could hear Creed's footsteps. Genala slowly rose to her feet, hands dancing around her saber. Demas had finally returned it to her; she'd felt so naked without it.

As Genala moved to brush off her pants, the sound of approaching footsteps stopped short. There was silence again.

"Genala-"

Genala looked up, a grin already plastered on her face.

Creed looked so small, standing across the room from her. He didn't have his blade drawn- his hands wasn't anywhere near it. He seemed awestruck, mouth moving to find the words he wanted to speak. "Genala this isn't you-"

"And what the fuck would you know about _me_?" Genala laughed. She took a few steps forward. She kept swinging her hands by her saber, ready to launch into action. "I wasn't even sure you'd show up. Then again," Genala shrugged, "can't have a black smudge on your _glistening_ record, can you?"

Creed blanched. "I should-" There was a pause. Creed fidgeted, wanting to look down but forcing himself not to. "What good would it have done to speak of it?"

"Kept Dae and I out of danger, for one."

"Had I known Demas was planning on-"

"Yes, yes," Genala said, waving a dismissive hand. "Had you known you'd have done something. Of course. Why would I think otherwise." Genala could feel the Force wave and move as she spoke- it was more than she'd ever felt from Creed. Figures it would take his past coming back to bite him for him to show anything but indignation.

Creed put hand forward. "There's still time. You can still turn-"

It was sad. His hand outstretched, eyes wide and pleading. Genala had never seen Creed looking so pitiful. She was about to speak again when she heard a bang and shout from somewhere in the ship. Demas had gotten started without her.

Creed had turned his head to look towards and sound and Genala took the opportunity to strike. Her blade was in hand and held out in front of her, crossing half the distance between them before Creed noticed.

He was quick to block, he'd always had impressive reflexes, but his resolve faltered as Genala pushed forward. Their blades spit and hissed, Genala's already beginning to take on a reddish hue.

This would be fun.

* * *

Dae was afraid.

Master Creed had gone on ahead, telling them to wait before they followed - because Demas would expect him to come alone. They'd be more effective if they were a surprise. But now… now Demas had come to _them_. Where was Master Creed? How did Demas even know about Master Asrabira?

If Creed had set them up, so be it. As long as he didn't come back, it was still two against one. Asrabira had experience. She was a Master and there was no way she was working with Creed on this. Dae could still be helpful. She could distract Demas and give her Master an opening. This time she didn't intend to deviate from her preferred fighting style. This time was more prepared. She turned on her lightsaber.

"Dae." Hearing her name from his mouth, said with such trivial amusement, sent shivers up her spine. "The _pathetic_ little padawan friend. And here I thought this would be a challenge."

She refused to be baited. She fell into a defensive stance and let her senses spread around her, using the force to become hyper-aware of everything for several feet in every direction. Hardly a moment had passed before he _flew_ at her, his crimson blade a blur.

She barely had time to parry his first few blows as he pushed her back. Usually she would expend the least amount of energy possible, redirecting attacks until her enemy faltered or grew tired or impatient - but the speed and strength behind his every motion was incredible. She was putting too much into deflecting, far more than was sustainable. She knew she wouldn't last long.

Mere seconds had passed, but already she needed help. She tried to extend her senses to search for her Master. It was a mistake. In that split second when her focus had shifted away from Demas, he had disarmed her, flicking her saber away as if it were nothing.

She managed to leap aside, away from his saber, but before she could get any farther he had his hand in the air. She felt her neck compress.

There was a flash of blue as Asrabira sprung, and red met blue, but Demas didn't budge. He stood his ground and met Dae's Master blow for blow without removing his hand from the air, without releasing his grip on Dae's throat.

She couldn't take a steadying breath but she swallowed the panic just the same. She wouldn't be useless again. She focused every ounce of energy on her fallen saber. Using the force, she turned it on, and flung it at Demas. The force hold around her neck released.

Gasping, she fell to her knees. Demas had had his focus on the Jedi Master and didn't see the purple blade until it was upon him. He was lucky the fading Padawan's aim had been so off; it had only clipped his shoulder.

"RUN!" she heard her Master yell, "GET TO CREED DAE, RUN!"

She ran.

* * *

Demas bellowed. The saber had hardly touched him, but in his surprise he had faltered and let the Padawan go. He needed his full attention on the Jedi. He didn't expect the worthless scrap to pull anything.

One moment he was playing with them, and the next that fucking padawan was bolting out the door to muck everything up. She _couldn't_ be allowed to reach Genala. She was still too fragile. Creed would cement the dark side within her, but Dae might be enough to break its hold at this early stage.

He grit his teeth and barely spared the Jedi a glance before he pulled Dae's saber to himself and took off.

In those few moments she had, Asrabira took advantage of Demas's distraction to step back and steady herself. Like Dae, she was better if she was the one on the defensive. What she didn't expect was for Demas to simply abandon fighting had no choice but to give chase.


	8. Chapter 8: End Game

Genala was impressed- Creed wasn't going easy on her. He matched her strike for strike. Still, she could see he was holding back from injuring her. Pity. That would likely cost him.

Genala reached out and grabbed some of the crates and boxes about the room. She held her saber in one hand and flung the boxes with the other. Creed ducked. Genala struck.

"Don't-"

Another wide swing cut Creed's words off at his lips. He lept backwards, freeing himself from Genala's continuous blows.

But Genala wasn't so easily escaped. Her heart was thundering in her ears and a smile was spread from ear to ear. Her breathing was harsh but controlled. She jumped to overtake Creed from the air. Their blades met with spitting sparks.

"Genala, this isn't what you want."

Genala was silent. Instead she pushed outwards, sending Creed skidding on his heels. She followed where he stopped and swung.

Creed blocked.

She swung again.

Blocked.

"Take it from someone who's been in your position!"

"From someone who _put_ me in this position." Genala spat. Her simple blows were getting her nowhere. Creed knew her style- he'd tried so hard to get her change it. Her aggressive tactics wouldn't work on him. He knew how to block them. He was hoping to tire her out. Exhaust her into submission. _Tough luck._

Genala reached out with the Force to grab at Creed and toss him aside- unfortunately he was able to resist. Instead of flying across the room, he was knocked off balance.

Genala swung at Creed's side. He was able to block, but only by putting himself on his back. Their sabers met once again in loud, sizzling snap.

She had him! A giggle bubbled up from Genala's throat. Unfortunately, the sound never escaped as Genala suddenly felt herself flying backwards. It wasn't until her back slammed against the wall that she realized what had happened.

The pain wasn't awful, but as Genala pulled herself up from the ground she locked eyes with Creed.

He was standing again, chest heaving. His face was hard but his expression hurt.

Something in Genala's gut twisted. Remorse? Regret? _No._ Creed put himself in this position- he deserved everything he got.

"I don't want to hurt you, Genala."

"Too late for that." Genala ran forward, saber brandished again.

Creed easily blocked her attack, but something had changed. He wasn't backing away this time, he was standing his ground. He took a step forward with their sabers locked.

 _Finally._ Genala jumped back, goading Creed forward. If she could get him to initiate, she'd be able to more accurately judge his movements.

Sure enough, Creed moved on her. His movements were fast, far faster than Genala had ever seen him move. His style was so often slow and calculated. This was a flurry.

But it was sloppy. Genala could feel the Force ripple and wave. She was ready to block every swing and counter. It was a storm of flashing lights and short hisses and sparks.

Genala was sure she'd gained the upperhand, moving Creed further and further back. She struck out with her leg, knocking Creed onto his back. _Second time this fight._ "You'll have to do better than-"

That's when her feet went out from under her. At first, she wondered if the floor had collapsed under her, but as she recognized the phantom fingers around her throat she realized _exactly_ what was happening. Fear was not a feeling Genala had expected from this fight. Especially not from Creed.

Below her, Creed had his arm outstretched as he clambered to his feet. "I'm sorry, Genala-"

He was choking her. Actually Force choking her. Genala wasn't quite sure if she was more confused or surprised. She wiggled to free herself but Creed wasn't playing around. The grip tightened.

"-but I'm going to do whatever it takes to bring you home."

His words sounded frighteningly serious. Genala was desperate. Her head was cocked at such an angle she couldn't see the floor. There had to be something she could grab, something she could throw. Something, anything she could use to-

"Genala! Creed? Creed! What are you-"

Genala felt her lightsaber tugged from her grip.

* * *

Dae, already out of breath, had run weaponless from one battle right into another one. The first thing she saw was Genala - _alive!_ "Genala!" she couldn't help but shout.

The second thing she noticed was that Genala was choking - and Creed was the one holding her, "Creed? Creed! What are you?!" she didn't even finish her sentence.

Dae threw her hands in front of her and, using the force, tore the lightsaber from her friend's weakening grasp. _Sorry Genala, you can have this back in a minute._ She was so out of her league here. She was probably going to die. They were probably both going to die, but there was no way after all of this that she was going to go down any other way than fighting.

Creed didn't even have the decency to react to Dae's presence until she was upon him, swinging Genala's lightsaber. He tossed - actually _tossed_ \- Genala across the floor as he turned to block her blow. She struck as hard as she could, using the force to aid the swing, and for once Creed could do little more than hold his own blade against hers.

She was angry, angry that he'd lied and set them up, angry that he'd been hurting her friend, angry that he hadn't even reacted to her, and angry for the look on his face now - like he was saddened that she'd stopped him, confused at her being there. He must have expected Demas to finish her off. From the corner of her eye she saw Genala was back on her feet. She threw the force at Creed as she leapt backwards, disengaging her friend's saber from his.

Then several things happened in rapid succession. Creed was catching his balance as Dae tossed the saber back to Genala, who caught it easily. Genala was the better fighter, it made sense to give it back.

Before even a moment passed, Demas burst into the room, followed closely by Master Asrabira brandishing Dae's dark-bladed half-saber as well as her own.

Demas seemed to zero in on the padawans, too, but then focused on Creed and began to charge.

Creed seemed torn between the padawans and the masters.

Master Asrabira was focused on Demas, but caught Dae's eye and launched her half-saber towards her even as she turned on her heel to take another swing with her own saber at the Sith charging Creed.

Dae caught her saber.

Creed was forced to block Demas, and then Master Asrabira, splitting his attention between them both and seeming no worse for wear having to fight two masters. It was frightening to think she'd managed to survive even seconds against him, alone. She turned to Genala, and looked at her properly for the first time since running in.

It was Genala, of that there was no doubt. But the dark circles under her eyes and vicious snarl looked so foreign. She was the same but different. Worryingly different.

"Are you okay?"

Genala looked Dae up and down, a softness falling on her features for only a moment before that hardness returned. "Creed continues to surprise, it seems. What are you, clone or android?"

Dae didn't understand. "I'm me, Genala" she spoke softly, almost as if to a child, like she was afraid of upsetting her friend by speaking too quickly, "It's Dae"

Genala's eyes moved from Dae to the battle going on beside her, yet her stance remained relaxed. Her saber was still alight in her hand, but her shoulders shrugged. "Of course you are. I can't say I blame him- it's a good trick. Sounds just like her too." Those last words came out quieter, almost mournful.

"Genala?" she gestured to her lightsaber, then to the rest of herself, "It _IS_ me. Why wouldn't I be me?"

"Dead men can't talk." Genala stated. Then her postured changed. Genala leaned forward, looking about to sprint. "Nor should they."

Dae had no idea why Genala thought her dead, but she braced herself and fell into a defensive stance. Something was clearly wrong. She flicked her eyes back to the flurry of movements where Demas still seemed to be holding his own against Masters Asrabira and Creed, working in tandem. Maybe _Master_ Creed had been subduing Genala for a good reason after all.

As Genala charged her, Dae used the force to fling a crate at her friend - a trick Genala herself was more likely to use than Dae was, but it would serve her purpose. "Androids can't use the force, Genala. Think for a moment!"

The crate was sliced in two, edges red hot where the saber had touched. "Then I guess that narrows it down!"

"To what?!" She was shouting, "Not even the Kaminoans can clone that fast!"

Their sabers met, hissing in protest.

Genala pulled her face close to the blades and smiled. She pushed, hard, against the blades and Dae took a skidding step back. "As long as you can die, it doesn't really matter what you are."

Oh. Well that cleared things up rather nicely. 'Dead men can't talk' indeed. Genala never thought she was dead - she'd intended to make her that way.

Right then. She'd held up during a fight with the Sith Demas. She's nearly knocked Master Creed down _defending_ Genala. She could do this.

She was the one who'd given Genala her lightsaber _back_. So be it. She was just going to have to take it back again.

* * *

Genala was surprised for the second time. Dae, whom Genala had expected would simply relent, moved to attack. The fellow padawan went to strike and Genala held out her saber to block, but was pleased at the tide the battle had taken. This copy of Dae was a lot more fun than the original.

This Dae was quick, not nearly as quick as Creed had been, and moved far less aggressively than he had. Even in her most aggressive, Dae was still on defense.

Genala moved back to let Dae push forward.

She was skilled... or this whatever-it-was certainly followed Dae's mannerisms. She - it - kept going for her hilt, but wasn't fast enough. Wherever Dae's blade moved, Genala's was there first.

This Dae looked to be getting frustrated, whether due to exhaustion or lack of success Genala wasn't sure. Genala was about to move to push this Dae back into a pile of crates when she saw Demas.

His shimmering feathers glittered under the light as he wrapped his arm around Dae's neck and hauled her backwards.

Dae screeched in surprise, letting her saber drop to the ground. She pulled against Demas' hands but she was too slow- he's already gotten a solid grip on her. He started to drag her back to the entrance.

Genala snapped her head to look where the three masters had been fighting. Creed was slumped onto one knee, breath heaving and arm wrapped around his chest. Asrabira was flat on her back, struggling to stand. Genala hadn't even noticed their fight had ended. Her chest swelled- they'd won!

Demas was settled in front of the masters as Genala hurried to his side, eager to hear what he was saying.

"I can't say I'm impressed, Creed." Demas still held Dae tightly and the padawan squirmed. "I was expecting more of a fight."

"Let them go." Creed's voice was breathy and low. "You came here for me. You want me. Your problem is with _me_. Let them go."

Asrabira groaned. "Now is not the time for-"

"On the contrary," Demas interrupted. "Now is exactly the time. And yes, Creed, you're not wrong. You are why I'm here. But I want to hurt you, see you suffer. And this," He held up Dae, "is exactly the way to do it."

Genala expected herself to be smiling, but something was off. Creed shouldn't be so worried about Dae... Dae was dead. Who cared what happened to this fake clone... thing. He should be using it as a distraction.

Looking to Asrabira, Genala saw her desperately eyeing Dae. She kept trying to pull herself up, worry lining her face.

That would only be if-

"But I fear I haven't done enough." Demas clicked his tongue and sighed. "Your will still seems to be intact. Your need to save. Unfortunate it had to come to this."

"If you so much as touch a hair on her head-" Asrabira began.

"No worries, Master Asrabira."

Everything seemed to move slowly after that. Genala watched Demas toss Dae aside like a ragdoll, the padawan coughing and gasping in air as she struggled to right herself.

Then Demas moved, turning and suddenly being chest to chest with Genala.

Genala was confused and took a surprised step backwards. _What was he-_

That's when she felt the hard hilt of his saber against her chest.

That's when she saw Creed's face contort into an expression of horror..

That's when she saw Dae start screaming.

She felt Demas' face against her own, his lips at her ear. "My apologies, my dear."

She heard it before she felt it, the soft hum of the lightsaber before the searing heat in her chest. Genala gasped and wriggled back but Demas' hand held her tight, even as she sunk to the ground. Her legs gave out, and her arms felt like puddy. Her saber clunked against the floor somewhere.

Demas stood and Genala followed his arms to the ground, where she watched his footsteps recede. She wanted to turn and watch where he went. _What was going on? Why had he-?_

She saw Creed struggling towards her. He was saying something, speaking to her. The entire room seemed to be put on mute. Genala could only hear her own heartbeat, thudding against her chest.

Pulling her head up, she looked at Dae. She, too, was talking. Crying.

Genala was suddenly tired, knowing entirely too well what that meant. She didn't want to die, but what else was she to do. She closed her eyes, feeling arms lift her from the ground. All she could do was hope she would have the chance to open them again.


End file.
